FOSS is a carefully planned, flexible, and modular
approach to science instruction and assessment for K-8 students. Its modular
design provides versatility so that it can be used in many difference school
settings.

Note: FOSS is an approved remedial program for the
elementary and middle school grades only.

FOSS Elementary Program

FOSS elementary modules are organized under four
topic headings called strands: Life Science, Physical Science, Earth Science,
and Scientific Reasoning and Technology. There are five modules for
Kindergarten, six modules for grades one and two, eight modules for grades
three and four, and eight modules for grades five and six, for a total of 27
modules. Modules that span two grade levels provide flexibility for teachers
and curriculum planners, making FOSS adaptable to just about every
science framework, guide, or program.

NOTE:
FOSS has made changes to the program for grades 3 through 6:

1.FOSS Science Stories: New student books written to be an
integral part of FOSS science modules for grades 3 - 6. These books are
designed to extend or reinforce the science concepts introduced in the
classroom. FOSS Science stories are designed to help strengthen the
science, reading, and language arts connection.

2.Revised Teacher Guide: Includes
several new teacher resources, such as Science stories and website folios, to
help extend the hands-on learning.

3.New Assessments: The new
assessments, found in the Teacher Guide, help the teacher continually monitor
student progress throughout each investigation and again at the end of the
module. Formative assessments are embedded in each part of the
investigations, providing teachers with constant feedback. Summative
assessments provide a comprehensive, overall measure of the learning outcome at
the end of the module.

5.New Teacher Videos: FOSS
Teacher Preparation Videos provide instructional support to save preparation
time for teachers. The video introduces the module and demonstrates how to set
up the equipment for each investigation. The new videos include more
information on pedagogy and more footage of real classrooms using the FOSS
modules.

6.The new FOSS website
connects students, teachers, and parents with new resources. Each module has
an interactive site where students and families can exercise their science
skills with instructional games and interactive simulations. The site also
provides links to other resources to explore subjects in greater depth.

FOSS Middle School Program

FOSS for middle schools is a general science curriculum
for students and their teachers in grades 6 - 8. The curriculum is organized
into topical courses that require 9 to 12 weeks to teach. Three courses are
offered under each of three strands:

Life Science

·Diversity of Life

·Human Brain and Senses

·Populations and Ecosystems

Physical Science and Technology

·Electronics

Earth and Space Science

·Planetary Science

·Earth History

·Water and Weather

The
FOSS program has set out to achieve two important goals. These are:

·Scientific Literacy: To provide
all students with science experiences that are appropriate to their cognitive
stages of development, and to serve as a foundation for more advanced ideas
that prepare them for life in an increasingly complex scientific and
technological world.

·Instructional Efficiency: To
provide all teachers with a complete, flexible, easy-to-use science program
that reflects current research on learning and the latest instructional
methodologies.

Evidence of
Effectiveness

According
to educational research studies, hands-on and inquiry-based science programs
are more effective than traditional lecture-based approaches still used in 80%
of the nation’s classrooms. Students exposed to inquiry-based programs perform
better and demonstrate a more positive attitude toward science than those in a
traditional, textbook-based classroom. (Making the Case for Teaching
Science Using a Hands-On, Inquiry-Based Approach, Bayer Corporation, 1999.)

·Shymansky et al. (1990) combined
81 research studies (a process called meta-analysis) contrasting the
performance of students in hands-on, activity-based programs with that of students
in traditional textbook based classrooms. Primary grade children exposed
to hands-on instruction displayed a positive effect size of 1.4 standard
deviations in science achievement. Particularly noteworthy, was the extra
achievement gain demonstrated by the students of those teachers who had taken in-service
training on the new curricula.

·Wise (1996) ran a similar study on
middle and high school science education experiments. He found 140 published
comparisons between traditional teaching and alternative instruction (inquiry
oriented approaches). The inquiry instructional strategies average thirteen
percentile points higher in achievement measures over traditional text and
lecture modes of instruction.

·In a 1996 study of science
achievement versus amount of hands-on experience in the classroom, Stohr‑Hunt
analyzed data collected from 24,599 eighth-grade students (1,052 schools). She
was looking for an answer to this question, “do students who engage in hands-on
activities frequently, (defined as daily or once a week), score higher on tests
of science achievement than those students who engage in hands-on activities
infrequently…?” She found that the frequency of hands-on experience was
strongly related to science achievement and reported significantly higher
achievement scores for students with more exposure to hands-on learning. (Stohr-Hunt,
1996).

Some
anecdotal information suggests that FOSS may influence scores on
standardized math tests. Well‑designed studies on this topic are just
beginning. One such study is presented below.

Dade County Florida

The
study examined the 1996 Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) science test results of
third and fifth grade students in Region III schools using the FOSS
Science Kits in comparison to other Region III schools that did not use the
kits. The table below displays the 1996 SAT results for the two groups of
students. An examination of the table reveals that third and fifth grade
students in schools using FOSS Science Kits outperformed other students
in science. In addition, FOSS students also achieved higher scores in
Reading Comprehension, Mathematics Computation, and Mathematics Applications.

Seventy three female and 63 males in five fifth grade
classes were involved in a 14-week study. Treatment classes experienced FOSS
modules. Both the males and females in the treatment group scored
significantly higher on a battery of assessment devices: CTBS, content
achievement measures, problem solving tasks, and attitude measures.

Correlation to NevadaState Standards

Concepts
covered by FOSS are aligned to Nevada content standards for Grades 2, 3, 5 and 8. FOSS
is aligned to Indicators of Progress for Kindergarten and Grades 1, 4, 6 and
7. Alignments are available at the Delta Education website.

Teacher Support

Each
elementary FOSS module has its own teacher guide, which consists of a
module overview, a set of activity folios, duplication masters for the student
sheets, assessments, FACT's, and equipment inventory sheets. For middle
schools, the teacher guide includes science background, detailed lesson plans,
assessments, and resource lists.

A
teacher preparation video contained in each module is another Ateacher friendly@
component of the FOSS Program. The video is an introduction to the
module, and shows a FOSS staff person or experienced teacher
demonstrating how to set up the equipment for each activity, in addition to
brief excursions into real classrooms to see the FOSS module in use.

The
cost factor incurred in purchasing the instructional modules entitles the
purchasers to FOSS training.

Equipment Requirements

Every
module revolves around an equipment kit, each of which is designed to serve a
class of up to 32 students at one time. There is a minimum of everyday-type
consumable materials; replacements can be ordered in packages or as line items.

In
addition, for the middle school program, each equipment kits includes a
multimedia CD-ROM, which may be used as an interactive instruction tool for use
as a whole class demonstration tool, as well as, individual or small group. A
lab notebook is provided that contains organizers and student sheets, which can
be photocopied for flexible use. A resource book is provided that contains
images, data, and readings.

The
Science and Technology program is a complete science program for pupils
in grades 1-8. The program can serve as an entire science curriculum or
individual units can be selected to incorporate into the existing curriculum.
The modular design makes it easy for a school or school system to implement the
program gradually over time.

Science and
Technology for Children (STC)
serves pupils in grades 1-6. With STC
units, students participate in a variety of exciting activities involving
observation, measurement, identification of properties, and controlled
experiments involving life, earth, and physical science concepts. This program is filled with innovative hands-on
activities designed to motivate young students. As every STC unit was
developed, careful attention was given to the diverse learning styles and the
developmental readiness of children. This applied both to the concepts in each
unit and the way in which these concepts were presented. In general, the units
are most effective at the suggested grade level and up or down a grade. With
teacher modifications, the range can be widened.

Science and
Technology Concepts for Middle
Schools (STC/MS) is an 8-module, inquiry-centered, middle school science
curriculum developed by the National Science Resources Center (NSRC). Each STC/MS
module provides opportunities for students to experience scientific phenomena
firsthand. The STC/MS program builds on the skills and knowledge
developed in the STC curriculum, with content balanced among the life
sciences, earth sciences, physical sciences, and technology.

The STC/MS modules include:

·Catastrophic Events

·Energy, Machines, and Motion

·Human Body Systems

·Properties of Matter

·Organisms

·Earth in Space

·Light

·Electrical Energy and Circuit
Design

The modules can be
sequenced for 2 one-year courses, each year consisting of a module from each of
the 4 science/technology strands, or as 4 one-semester courses for earth
science, life science, physical science, and technology. The STC/MS
program materials include assessment components, suggestions for the use of
educational technology, and reading selections to broaden student learning.

Each STC/MS
module is based on a 4-stage learning cycle that is grounded in educational
research and practice.

First, students focus
on what they already know about a topic.

Next, students explore
a scientific phenomenon or concept, following a well-structured sequence
of classroom investigations.

Third, students reflect
on their observations, record them in science journals, draw conclusions,
and share their findings with others.

Finally, students apply
their learning to real-life situations and to other areas of the
curriculum.

Evidence of
Effectiveness

The
Science and Technology program is a complete science program for pupils
in grades 1-8. The program is filled with innovative hand-on activities
designed to motivate pupils; the program is the result of a joint effort by
some of the leaders in the fields of education and science.

The
National Science Resources Center (NSRC), operated by the Smithsonian
Institution and the National Academy of Sciences to improve the teaching of
science in the nation’s schools, began developing the Science and Technology
program in 1988; the curriculum was completed in 1997.

The
NSRC evaluated each Science and Technology unit’s effectiveness with
children, by nationally field‑testing it in diverse urban, rural, and
suburban public schools. The Program Evaluation and Research Group of LesleyCollege,
located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, evaluated the assessments in each unit. Each unit
also reflects the incorporation of teacher and student field-test feedback and
of comments on accuracy and soundness from nationally known scientists and
science educators who serve on the Science and Technology Advisory
Panel. This research and development process was completed to ensure all Science
and Technology units are scientifically accurate and pedagogically
appropriate for pupils.

Traverse City Public Schools, Traverse City Michigan

Review of results from the Michigan Educational Assessment
Program (MEAP) was used to determine the effectiveness of the Science and
Technology program on student academic achievement. In analyzing the
results, a comparison was made between the results of school districts that
adopted a significant number of Science and Technology units and the
state average. (NOTE: The Science and Technology program was
implemented in 1996; therefore, results from 1996 should be considered
baseline). Test results are categorized by socio-economic status of school
districts.

Table
1 represents results of school districts that are generally considered to be of
a high socio-economic level (low free and reduced lunch frequency) as compared
to statewide results:

Table 1

State/District

1998

1997

1996

MichiganState
Average

40.4

36.8

26.9

Troy Public Schools

74.1

60.9

51.3

Utica Community Schools

56.0

46.3

36.4

Table
2 represents results of school districts that are generally considered to be of
diverse socio-economic backgrounds (higher free and reduced lunch frequency):

Table 2

State/District

1998

1997

1996

MichiganState Average

40.4

36.8

26.9

Lanse
Cruse Schools

52.8

54.6

46.2

ShelbyPublic
Schools

48.1

33.0

31.2

South
Lake Public Schools

54.0

20.0

22.0

Traverse
City Public Schools

53.9

47.9

29.0

Table
3 represents results of school districts that are generally considered to be of
low to very low socio‑economic backgrounds (very high free and reduced
lunch frequency):

Table 3

State/District

1998

1997

1996

MichiganState Average

40.4

36.8

26.9

Crawford-AuSable

36.1

11.6

17.4

Muskegon
Public Schools

22.0

15.8

12.0

Saginaw
Public Schools

20.4

13.3

9.2

Summary of Results

While
there are many statistical variations that could be applied to these results,
one dramatic trend emerges. Out of these very different school districts, eight
out of nine showed improvement greater than the state average increase of 3.6%,
from 1997 to 1998. In some cases the improvement is dramatic (South Lake -
+32%; Crawford AuSable - +24.5%). The smallest improvement was at the Traverse
City Schools - +6%; however, this district was already 15% higher than the
state average before implementation of the program.

Correlation to NevadaState Standards

No.

Teacher Support

The
key to the successful use of the Science and Technology program is the comprehensive
Teacher’s Guide. Each Guide provides in-depth information on how to prepare for
and lead every activity in the program, as well as assess student progress.
Notes and classroom management tips help the teacher to efficiently manage all
materials. Complete preparation steps make planning and implementing each
lesson easy and efficient. There are goals for each unit, objectives for
individual lessons, topics for class discussion, student questions and answers,
and an extensive bibliography.

In-service
training can be arranged at an additional cost through the Carolina Biological
Supply Company. It is recommended that this type of training occur before
implementation, so that teachers can work through a module themselves and
become familiar with the experiential learning of STC.

Equipment Requirements

Everything needed to teach a Science and
Technology module—teacher's guide, student books, and the equipment and
materials to conduct each lesson's inquiries—is available in each purchased kit.

Costs

Prices of Science and Technology kits
will vary depending on the module.

·For the Science and Technology
for Children program, each kit provides enough materials for eight weeks of
instruction for a group of 30 pupils.

·For the middle school program,
kits are offered in one-class sets (for one class or 32 students) or in 5-class
sets (for 5 classes of 32 students each). One Teacher’s Guide is included in
each kit; additional Teacher’s Guides may be purchased separately.

·Kit refurbishment services are
available.

For Information Contact

Crystal
McKenrick, Adoptions Coordinator

Carolina
Biological Supply Company

Science
and Technology Program

2700
York Road

Burlington, NC27215

Phone:
(800) 227-1150 x 5302

(800) 334-5551

Current Location in Nevada

No
school in Nevada has chosen this program during this state remediation
funding cycle.